Positive Reinforcement

We were swimming at the pool, talking about how each of us discipline our kids and a friend of mine who has the patience of all patience...(some are blessed with more than others:) ) had a great idea we decided to try.
When the kids start to argue and fight....which they do more often than not at our house, instead of separating them in different rooms for timeouts, saying things you'll regret later, losing your temper, blowing off some steam, have them sit right by each other and think of 3 nice things about each other. We tried this today...and it was awesome to see the change in the way they treat each other. It took a little bit for them to realize what was going on and that they were in trouble, but sitting right next to each other. Amazing how positive reinforcement, love can change a situation. Not going to say it will always turn out this nice, but we can hope. Any suggestions you may have, love to hear them.